My Eleanor

being 5 & turning 6

These photographs, made on 35mm film, tell a story about my six-year-old daughter, Eleanor. As her mother, I wanted to celebrate her unique life as a Kindergartener. Eleanor is an oasis of calm and a fountain of joy amidst the tumult of our everyday lives. Her older brother, Aidan, has a set of disabilities that requires my husband and I to provide continuous assistance and attention throughout every aspect of his day. And while she gets ample love and attention from us too, I recognize that family life for her is atypical. Spending time photographing Eleanor for this project has been a small way to create something special just for her. These everyday images of her illustrate her resilience and resolve to make the most of each day. And it has given me a way to “stop time” to forever cherish these special moments in her life and always remember the sweet, little girl that I am so fortunate to have.

I enjoy reading books to my kids, especially ones in which the stories rhyme. With this in mind, I created a book for Eleanor that includes a poem to accompany the photographs on each page.